Part of the Acorn Archive

Hearts of Oak

 

 

Charles Lewis

Royal Navy [1891-1905]

 

West Africa Station 1900-1904

Part 6

Written  1944

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More memories, and The Return Home

 

I remember when coaling in Manchuria, where the natives said it was too cold for them to work in the coal barge, so we turned to and got in the coal; but it took a week to get in 100 tons; Cold was no name for it, I have been in the lighter alongside our ship and as the spray broke over us it froze on us; One carried on as long as one could, but it took some striking. I don’t think I have been warm since wintering up there.

 

It was no better on the West Coast of Africa. Coaling the ship was worse than “hard labour”, especially St Thomas, which is close to the equator. The coal was brought alongside in small boats, each ship on arrival at Sierra Leone takes on board so many Kroomen to work outside the awnings, as we were not used to that heat. Our Kroomen said it was too hot for them to coal at St Thomas’. So we turned to and got the coal in. I must confess it was some hot. I often think of what would have happened to those Negroes if they had belonged to another Navy.

 

Another port of call on the West Coast was Elephant’s Bay, the usual routine soon after arrival of a ship was to land a party of men to put the name of the ship on the Cliff ashore. I volunteered for that job, as it meant a 700 foot Climb. Everything required, had to be carried up. We looked about and found a kind of white stone, and to make it look more conspicuous we carried up lime and water, and whitewashed them over. It was interesting to note the different ship names on the various Cliffs.

 

As we were the first ship to arrive in the Bay, after the Accession of HM King Edward VII, in addition to our name, we put ER and the date; it was hard work and terribly hot. We did not see any Elephants in the Bay, but night times we could hear the lions roaring. [Baia dos Elefantes, South Angola]

 

When we were at St Paul’s de Loanda, our Officers got up a fishing party, fortunately I missed the party. Our chaps wishing to emulate the Negroes dressed them selves up in the clothes Adam and Eve wore before the Fall [Autumn]; I don’t think anyone belonging to that party will ever forget fishing in the Tropics, for next day blisters (like one gets when on is scalded by boiling water) appeared all over their bodies. Doctor had to put all of them on the Sick list, it was quite a fortnight before they were able to return to duty. I joined the second party, but we profiting by the first party’s mistake, kept on our white duck suit and wore our straw hat, so we had a very enjoyable day. I am sorry to say our catch did not come up to expectation, but it was a change to run off the sands and splash about in the sea.

 

Every HM Ship carries a seine and, if one is fortunate to serve a decent Captain, one can get some very good sport. I remember once in Kornalof Bay in Manchuria, we caught a Cutter full of Salmon, enough for the whole Ship’s Company. then at Lambert’s Bay we used to fish for Crayfish; the water was so clear, one could see the bottom at a depth of five fathoms and over. We used a hoop with a spun yarn mesh attached, and fast as you put the hoop over the side, you could pull it in with a Crayfish in it. We caught so many that one got tired of them. The fish made a nice change after being on salt provisions for a long time.

 

We visited Ascension Island and spent Christmas there. To me it looked for all the world, like a large cinder heap. Georgetown is the chief port. the only vegetation is on Green Mountain about 2,000 ft above sea level. It’s a fine place for rollers for anybody that likes surfing, also for turtles; The beaches sometimes are covered with them. I believe the Lord Mayor of London gets turtles for his banquet from Ascension. A wonderful sight on the Island is the Wide-a-Wakes; they are black body birds with white breasts, about the size of a small gull; There are thousands of them, they squat about on the cindery shore and one has to be careful when walking, or you would step on them, they don’t attempt to fly up, or get out of the way. When I was there the Island was manned by Marines with a Naval Captain in Charge. Ascension was a coaling station; we tried to get some Christmas things on the Island, but we were unlucky, they had run out of provisions, but allowed us to purchase one pint of beer. And after walking on nothing but cinders on a hot day for hours on a stretch, a pint of anything liquid was acceptable.

 

Another Island we visited was Anna Bon, belonging to Spain; the natives had little clothes and less food, so one could get anything the Island had to offer in exchange for old clothes or food. One poor half starved ragged native came on board to see the Captain. Unfortunately for him he got in the way of our first Lieutenant, who was busy getting the ship shipshape after anchoring. Without thinking, the first Lieutenant gave the poor old chap a rugger kick on the part he sat on, which sent him flying down the ladder; when he picked himself up, he started to sing out at the top of his voice “Me the Guvnah Sah! Me the Guvnah Sah!”  Poor old Jimmy the One saw he had put his foot in it; He apologised at once, and took him to the Captain. If the Governor looked like that, you can imagine how the lower order looked.

 

We had a pleasure cruise to St Helena, which was a great treat after all our hard times on the Coast; Like Ascension, St Helena is another coaling station; Jamestown is the Chief town, which is a long winding street between high hills; there are some excellent walks there; One has to visit Napoleon’s grave, another fine walk is out to Longwood, to see his house, then if one has not had enough exercise, one can climb Jacob’s Ladder – 700 steps, that will make one puff. A very pretty sight is seen from one of the hills, on another hill opposite to the one I was on, is a beautiful green piece of ground shaped like a heart, due, I believe to the water dripping on it; all around it, it looks like rocks, why the shape of a heart, I don’t know.

 

We had another battering in a gale, and refitted. We had all collected a lot of things we had bartered for from the natives. I had bartered clothes for curios and some of the loveliest sea shells that I have ever seen, in Mozambique; shells of all sizes and descriptions, some so smooth one could be forgiven if he thought the shells had been polished day and night, they were a beautiful lot. Our Officers were very good – they gave us all the space possible for the stowage of Curios.

 

We had a leisurely trip home calling at all the West Coast on the way, arriving at Plymouth safely on the 14th April 1904.

 

 

 

 

Raymond Forward